Basketball net



Nov. 5, 1963 AUSTIN 3,109,647

BASKETBALL NET Filed May 22, 1961 United States Patent 3,109,647 BASKETBALL NET Raymond E. Austin, Freeport, N.Y., assignor to R. E. Austin 8: Son, a partnership Filed May 22, 1961, Ser. No. 111,777 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-15) This invention relates to an improved goal construction for use in connection with the game of basketball. As is well understood, a basketball goal comprises a circular rim or ring member of rigid material, such as steel, which is fixed in position and from which is suspended a basket-like member, which is open at the bottom so that the ball can pass through it.

Basket members of basketball goals were formerly made of a net of fibrous material, such as cord or small rope, but these have been largely replaced with a net formed of metallic chain in order to render the basket more durable. Basket or net members constructed of metallic chain are however, not desirable because they deteriorate by oxidation, which, in the case of steel chain produces a rusty condition, and because of the fact that in some instances the players hands have been bruised or cut when jumping for the basket.

It is the aim of the present invention to provide a goal construction, and particularly a basket or net for the goal which has high tensile strength, is not aifected by climatic conditions, will not deteriorate by rotting, rusting, or the like, and which will not cause any accident to a players hands when jumping for the basket.

In accordance with the present invention my improved goal construction comprises a basket member having its vertical and horizontal components made of strips of plastic material which are secured together at their intersections, with freely swinging or depending strips below the lowermost horizontal component, and with each of the vertical components projecting upwardly from the uppermost horizontal component and secured to a conventional circular rim member of metal or other suitable rigid material. Both the vertical and horizontal components of the basket member are made of a suitable plastic material, advantageously thermoplastic material, such as vinyl acetate or polyethylene.

The invention also includes an improved construction for assembling and securing the basket or net member to the rim member of the goal. The conventional rim member is provided with a series of hook or supporting members which project in a generally downwardly direction from the rim member and which are equally spaced around its periphery. The improved hook members are each made of a short piece of heavy gauge wire or rod, the center of which is bent to form a downwardly projecting tongue, the portions at each side of this tongue being bent in a receding curve and disposed to the rear of and out of the plane of the tongue member. The bending or curving of the side portions of the member continues downwardly and then outwardly in opposite directions, thence upwardly in the plane of the tongue member to form end portions which are secured by welding or otherwise to the rim member.

The present invention includes the provision of a thickened pad portion on each of the vertical components of the basket member which is formed to cooperate with and be readily applied to or detached from the improved hook member above described. Thus the upper member of each of the vertical components is provided with an integral thickened pad portion or head portion having a central lateral aperture to receive the tongue portion of the hook member and having a thickness to be accommodated within or between the inwardly and outwardly, i.e., laterally, separated portions of the hook member, and to engage the legs of the hook member and cooperate therewith in holding the apertured pad portion in place on the tongue portion.

The invention will be more fully understood by the examination of the accompanying drawing and consideration of the following description of the construction in connection therewith. In this drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the basketball goal of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a developed or plan view of a portion or section of the basket member of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detailed view showing the construction of the means of attachment of the basket member to the rim member of the goal;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but with the parts separated from one another; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 2.

In examining the drawing, FIG. 1 shows in perspective view a complete basketball goal structure according to the invention, the supporting rim or ring being indicated by reference numeral 10 which is a substantially rigid member, circular in form in plan view made of any suitable material, such as steel. Rim 10 is mounted upon a pair of brackets, one at each side, and one of which is shown and indicated at 11. These brackets are welded or otherwise secured to ring 10 and at their opposite ends are mounted upon a fixed structure such, for example, as the wall of a building, or a horizontal bar carried between two upright posts, none of which parts is illustrated.

.The basket member of the invention is indicated generally by reference numeral 12 and is composed of horizontally and vertically spaced components. As shown, there are two horizontal components 13 and 14, and twelve vertical components 15. All are in the form of strips of plastic material, such for example, as vinyl acetate or polyethylene, and are about Ms thick and about /8" wide. These dimensions, however, may be varied somewhat if desired.

Forming portions of the vertical components 15 are upwardly or vertically extending supporting tabs 16 which are attached at their upper ends to the rim 10 of the goal in a manner to be described. Formed as lower extensions of the vertical components 15 are freely swinging or depending strips 17.

The horizontal components or strips 13 and 14 and all of the vertical strips such as 15, 16 and 17 are secured together wherever they intersect one another. Thus, if these horizontal and vertical members consist of separate strips, they may be secured at their intersections in any suitable manner, as for example by means of rivets. Advantageously, however, and in accordance with the present invention, these horizontal and vertical components are made integrally with one another so that they cross one another in the same plane.

Thus in FIG. 2 there is shown in developed plan view a section or portion of the basket member 12 which is pressure molded so as to simultaneously form the vertical strips 15, 16 and 17 and the horizontal strips 13 and 14. Two or more such sections as shown in FIG. 2 may be secured together by means of rivets 18, or otherwise, to form the basket v12. As illustrated, the basket is made in two sections.

It will be understood that the freely swinging or depending strips 17 may correspond in number with the vertical strips 15, but inasmuch as the perimeter of the basket is smaller at the bottom than at the top alternate strips 17 have been omitted, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

One of the important features of the invention is the manner in which the basket member 12 is attached to or supported by the rim member of the goal. As shown in FIG. 1 a plurality of hook members 119 are equally spaced around the rim and project in a generally downward direction from its lower surface. These are illustrated in detail in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Each of these hook members is formed from a short piece of heavy gauge steel wire or rod.

In shaping the hook member the wire or rod is first bent at its center to form a rounded and flattened tongue section 20. Then portions of the wire at each side of tongue 20 are bent upwardly and rearwardly in curves indicated at 21 in FIG. 4. The bending of the wire continues downwardly to form rear portions 22 which extend downwardly and spaced rearwardly of the tongue 20. The flank portions 23 of the wire are then bent sharply upwardly and forwardly, as indicated, into the plane of tongue 20 (FIG. 4) and with the upper parts of these flanks 23 slightly closer together than the width of the head portions of the supporting tabs 16, as will be described. The extreme end portions of the wire are now bent to horizontal position as shown in FIG. 3 at 24, which may be welded to ring 10 as indicated.

In order to removably connect the supporting tabs 16 of the basket to the respective hook members 19, each of the supporting tabs is provided with a head portion 25. These head portions are at the upper ends of each tab, and advantageously are formed integrally therewith.

Head portions 25, as shown especially in FIGS. 4 and 6 are considerably thicker than the strips 16, and, as shown, are approximately twice as thick, and this dimension approximately corresponds to the inward and outward separation between the tongue portion 20 and the rearward portions 22 of the hook members (FIG. 4). Each of the head portions 25 is provided with an elongated aperture 26 to receive flattened tongue 20, and the tongue may be inserted in this aperture and the side areas of the head member compressed or flexed so as to work them into the space between tongue 20 and the portions 22, as shown in FIG. 4, and with the upper portions at the sides of each head Inemberbehind the upper parts of flank portions 23 (FIG. 3). The upper end of head portion 25 fits into snug engagement with the lower surface of rim 10, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

By this arrangement the basket member 12 may be readily applied to, or removed from, the rim 10 of the goal construction by manipulation of the flexible and compressible portions 25 into or out of engagement with the hook members 19.

I claim:

1. In a basketball goal construction, a basket member comprising strips of flexible plastic material forming spaced vertical and horizontal components intersecting one another and secured together at their intersections, the vertical components projecting upwardly from the uppermost horizontal component and terminating each in a head portion, a circular supporting rim structure for supporting the basket member having a plurality of hook members spaced equally around the rim structure, the head portions having an aperture therein for engaging the hook members for suspending the basket member from the supporting rim structure, and a plurality of the vertical components terminating in freely swinging free ended strips below the lowermost horizontal component, the flexibility of the vertical and horizontal components of the basket member and of the freely swinging free ended strips facilitating the determination of whether a ball has passed through the rim structure.

2. A basketball goal construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein the vertical and horizontal components are integral with one another.

3. In a basketball goal construction, a circular supporting rim structure of rigid material having a plurality of hook members spaced equally around the rim structure on the underside thereof, each of these hook members including a central flattened tongue section flanked by side sections each of which includes rearwardly and forwardly spaced portions, the.forward portions being disposed above the rear portions and approximately in the plane of the flattened tongue section, the forward and upper portions of the side sections being disposed closer together than the rearward and lower portions, a basket member having supporting tabs extending upwardly therefrom corresponding to the hook members, each of the tabs having a head portion integral with its upper end, said head portion having a lateral elongated aperture therein to receive the flattened tongue of the hook member, and the head portion fitting into frictional engagement with and behind the spaced forward and upper portions of the side sections.

4. A basketball goal construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein the basket member comprises a plurality of similar sections each including vertical and horizontal components, each section having a vertical component at one side thereof and free extensions of the horizontal components at the opposite side, and means for securing the ends of the free extensions of one section to a vertical component of the adjacent section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,424,953 Turnquist Aug. 8, 1922 2,254,507 Albach et a1 Sept. 2, 1941 2,579,312 Garvey Dec. 18, 1951 

1. IN A BASKETBALL GOAL CONSTRUCTION, A BASKET MEMBER COMPRISING STRIPS OF FLEXIBLE PLASTIC MATERIAL FORMING SPACED VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL COMPONENTS INTERSECTING ONE ANOTHER AND SECURED TOGETHER AT THEIR INTERSECTIONS, THE VERTICAL COMPONENTS PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM THE UPPERMOST HORIZONTAL COMPONENT AND TERMINATING EACH IN A HEAD PORTION, A CIRCULAR SUPPORTING RIM STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING THE BASKET MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF HOOK MEMBERS SPACED EQUALLY AROUND THE RIM STRUCTURE, THE HEAD PORTIONS HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN FOR ENGAGING THE HOOK MEMBERS FOR SUSPENDING THE BASKET MEMBER FROM THE SUPPORTING RIM STRUCTURE, AND A PLURALITY OF THE VERTICAL COMPONENTS TERMINATING IN FREELY SWINGING FREE ENDED STRIPS BELOW THE LOWERMOST HORIZONTAL COMPONENT, THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL COMPONENTS OF THE BASKET MEMBER AND OF THE FREELY SWINGING FREE ENDED STRIPS FACILITATING THE DETERMINATION OF WHETHER A BALL HAS PASSED THROUGH THE RIM STRUCTURE. 